The worst part about trading for a great player is having to trade a great player. And if the New York Knicks want to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, they'll probably have to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to make it happen.
If your first reaction to that was a wince, I understand; KAT has been an incredible Knick since he got to NYC, both on the court (he made third-team All-NBA last year) and off the court, where he's fully embraced the fans and the city. Trading him would stink — even if it brought the Knicks Giannis!
NBA insider Jake Fischer recently talked about how any potential Giannis trade likely wouldn't be possible without the inclusion of KAT:
"I don't see, mathematically, for Giannis... I don't know how the New York Knicks could have gotten there without putting Karl-Anthony Towns in the trade... That's the ultimate difficulty. Is that upgrade really worth it for New York to move on from KAT and someone else and mortgage your draft capital?"
That's the big question here. My guy says no, it wouldn't be worth it. Because KAT isn't just a good player on this Knicks team, he's an integral part of why they're so successful. It's not that Giannis and Jalen Brunson wouldn't be an elite two-man combo (they would be), but Brunson and KAT make each other so much better and replacing Towns with a completely different player (and likey losing another key player in the process)
Karl-Anthony Towns is still getting settled in New York
Things move so quickly in the NBA that a team trading an All-NBA player after he's played one year there has become normal. And because of the nonstop breakneck pace, it might feel like Towns has played more than one season in New York — but he hasn't! This was his first season in the Big Apple, and he made an All-NBA team and helped the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals.
He's essentially, never done anything wrong in New York. He also has two (and maybe three) years left on his contract, so there's no rush to deal him at all. If guys under contract for multiple years, who have been nothing but phenomenal for their teams, who love the cities they live, can get traded... Then who's safe? (No one).
I know players' feelings aren't the most important part of business moves between teams, but trading KAT after he's been exactly who the Knicks hoped he would be doesn't seem fair to him. Give the man a chance to get settled in his new apartment, at least!